Dignity for sale, to get traffic
I found an “experiment” to increase Technorati authority. For bloggers, it is all important to have good authority on technorati for some reason. Whom am I fooling? That reason IS traffic.
However, something like this to increase that authority is a little too much. Who really is sitting idle there waiting to link random blogs together (AND update such random nonsense everyday!)? I guess plenty enough people. This is part of why most really good writers are less visible. They have no time to pander to bizarre measures nor the inclination.
What this “experiment” is, is no experiment, it is a link farm in a blog. There is a post with a list of links to other blogs, who have a similar list on theirs. As people join the project, they comment, and get added to the list, which is supposed to register as lots and lots of links with technorati, thus raising their authority. What in the world makes them think that their “gains” from technorati are not going to go reverse with search engines?
Uh…. that doesn’t mean I’m too good for such stuff. Actually, I AM good, but not because I don’t have the time, its simply because I don’t find it worthwhile to play these games. Not even for traffic (which is something most bloggers seem to sell their soul for). What experiment does it take to know that link lists are read by sites that count links? Worse, what does it take to know that this is basically worthless the minute some algorithm figures it out, and then its penalty bait.
How much traffic is enough traffic? And what is the point where we say… okay, I’m not going to post links that I have no respect for, because I have traffic, and now I would like some self-respect? Uh… never, I guess, unless we begin.
I feel a little disillusioned when I see such processes gain such popularity. Has anyone realized that Technorati getting hold of this link list is the one thing they don’t want, if they wish to retain their gains?
Sigh!
I don’t earn much from this blog, but hey, I’m having a blast writing, and I DO earn enough to not be spending for it. There is steady growth in traffic without spending a rupee for it. People come back, if you make an effort to write well.
I guess it would be too much to hope for that people use the daily devotion time to updating such lists to actually creating content that would gain them links that readers would enjoy, search engines would respect, and technorati would credit?
June 24th, 200812:41 pm at
Thanks for the link, I think.
The reason I started the list was to benefit the readers of my blog as that is what my blog is all about.
This is an interesting [different] look at what this list does for people. It’s helped over 100 people get backlinks, technorati authority and noticability. I really don’t see the problem with trying to help some readers. I guess thats just how you see it.
I noticed on your front page that you wrote a post to enter a contest. Doesn’t that mean your willing to give your dignity away for free just for a CHANCE to win a Market Leverage bag?
June 24th, 20081:11 pm at
Hi Brad
First, I applaud your extremely polite comment, considering how you see my post and my actions (being critical of you, but indulging in something similar)
There are loads of things people do for links. What I find incredible about this is the amount of effort for something that is basically an experiment to “build links” to put it mildly. It is my sense of dignity that I do care about who and what I link to and how much effort I make over it.
Yours may be different and that’s fine. I did link to you, and you are welcome. And no, I don’t need to be on this list for it. I appreciate your presence here. That’s my reward.
I can see how you find my entering a contest of a similar nature, and from your perspective, perhaps it is. From mine, I had spent a long time reading up over there, and then noticed the contest. It was more an expression of my utter inability to notice stuff around me that triggered that post when I noticed it. In case you didn’t notice, I did link to that same blog in the post before without requiring anything for it. That blog doesn’t link to me, does it?
Regardless, I wrote what I wrote, and it reflected my reactions at that time.
I do appreciate you coming here and sharing your perspective with me.
Vidyut
June 24th, 20081:17 pm at
I would also like to add that while I link to your post (I couldn’t realistically repeat the list here), it is more a statement because of the sheer participation and the effort to keep that list updated. To me, its interest-angle lies in the number of people willing to invest themselves into link lists. You do have a point that while I rarely link to something I don’t truly find interesting, I can’t really say every link has added value to my online experience.